


playing nurse

by s_decoy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 06:44:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3886303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_decoy/pseuds/s_decoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hinata feels the consequences of tormenting kageyama one time too many. he's injured, they're both suspended from the team until he heals, and kageyama has strict instructions to attend to him while his mother is out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> first thing i've posted to here?? i don't know. hope it isn't terrible. i know my chapters aren't very long and im bad at titles sorry

“C’mon, Kageyama, just one drink!” Hinata whined, crossing his sweaty arms over his chest in a huffy pout.

“No,” Came a grunt of a reply, followed by the click of a sports bottle cap opening and a gurgle as Kageyama took a satisfied gulp that he really didn’t need, he just wanted to make Hinata regret forgetting his bottle, and maybe rub it in his nose a little bit.

“Shoyo, you can have some of mine if you need,” Nishinoya had been observing them, and he didn’t like the malicious gleam in Kageyama’s eyes every time the redhead begged. He offered his bottle to the slightly taller boy, who politely declined.

“It’s the concept of it, senpai!” He turned back to face the setter with a glare, “I’m trying to teach Kageyama how to share, because apparently he failed kindergarten!” Kageyama’s expression soured as he took in the insult, then rapidly curdled as he lunged for Hinata’s chest, grasping at his shirt.

“You little-!” His hand swiped at air as the blocker dodged, snickering under his breath at his teammate’s bad temper. The taller boy let out a deep sigh, grimacing as Hinata stood again, staring upward expectantly. “You’d probably backwash in it! Or dribble all over the cap!” He protested. Nishinoya rolled his eyes and jogged off towards the other side of the gym, waiting for the captain to signal the resume of practice and leaving his kouhai to their petty disagreement.

“Break is about to end, Kageyama! Last chance to prove you aren’t a major grouch that can’t even share water!” Hinata tapped his wrist as though he were wearing a watch, smiling innocently upwards.

“Never,” the dark-haired boy hissed through his teeth, leaning downwards to loom over the shorter and taking a last triumphant swig. Hinata raised his lip and stumbled backwards, startled by the sudden closeness, but recovered fast enough to snatch the bottle straight from between Kageyama’s teeth.

He dashed as fast as he could towards the rest of the team gathered across the gym, doing his best to drain the bottle before he was caught and punished. He heard heavy, purposed footsteps behind him and his heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized he could feel Kageyama’s fury wrapping around his neck from four feet behind. His pursuer was gaining distance on his heels rapidly, encouraging him to speed up.

He heard a startled grunt and the stomping steps ceased, but he was too preoccupied to look backwards and inspect. The hand around his ankle caught him completely off guard as he was yanked backwards, limbs flailing as his body fell towards the gymnasium floor. Everything seemed slow as he felt something in his leg shift in a way that was _definitely_ not right and he was on the verge of either crying or screaming by the time his chin had knocked hard against the wood. The rest of the gym was silent, and he felt the hand hurriedly lift from his skin as he sat up, looking backwards to find a very surprised-looking Kageyama, also on the floor and struggling to process the situation in a timely manner. Further back was a horrified Nishinoya with a leg jutted out in a way that made it obvious he was the one who had tripped the setter.

Hinata's ankle literally throbbed. He couldn't quite tell what was wrong with it, but it was nothing if not prominent. His top teeth dug into his trembling lower lip as his gaze darted around, frantically inspecting the unnaturally still scene, he could feel warm tears beginning to roll in fat drops down his cheeks as he attempted to refrain from full-on bawling.

The libero was the first to move to his aid, though from the sound of thunder echoing from the other side of the gym and the numerous sneaker squeaks, the rest of the team wasn’t far behind. Nishinoya dove to his knees and dug a hand under the redhead’s shivering leg, making him wince in surprise.

“Holy shit, Sho!” he moved his hands close to his ankle and stopped at a quickly-reddening area that the feel of Kageyama’s enraged fingers still lingered in. “Oh, man, you’re busted up pretty good.” Before Hinata could reply, the older members ushered Nishinoya to the side, the vice captain slapping his hands away and gently resting the blocker’s leg in his lap. Hinata groaned subtly as the movement registered in his injury, rubbing at one of his eyes as discreetly as he could with his palm.

“I’m fine, I think..?” He mumbled, not wanting to risk his playing privilege. “Probably just need to walk it off, y’know...”

“Oh, no, you are not going to be walking this one off,” Sugawara scolded, gently pressing his cool fingers into the sore area. He turned to Nishinoya again. “Get him some _ice_ if you want to help!” The short boy scrambled to his feet and nodded, running off.

Kageyama had still hardly moved, only sitting up and looking at the people that had gathered, confused. Sawamura grabbed him by the back of his practice t-shirt, coaxing him to his feet in a less than gentle manner. His cheeks were red, from guilt or shame of not understanding the incident quickly enough. He tried to peek over the vice-captain's shoulder, avoiding Hinata's eyes but carefully inspecting his injury.

Not long after, the coach and supervising teacher had made their way over. Nishinoya followed with a bag of ice held in his hand like a trophy. Takeda kneeled next to Sugawara with a grim look.

"It looks sprained, Hinata. You're going to have to go home early," Hinata's face fell. "You probably can't practice for the next few days, either. This could take a little while to heal."

"No! Please, you can't make me!" He sniffled through his tear-streaked lips. "It isn't that bad-" he tried to prove his point by pushing off from his senpai's lap to stand, but only fell back down, caught before the floor by Azumane hovering behind him.

"Look at that, Kageyama," Sawamura laughed coldly, "He's sprained it! Gee, wonder how that happened!" He smacked the back of the setter's head and turned his attention back to Hinata. Kageyama squeaked indignantly and rubbed the potential bruise.

"Should we call your mother, Hinata?" Sugawara suggested, stroking his thumb softly over his kouhai's leg to comfort him slightly.

"Actually, that might be a problem..." Hinata knitted his brows. "She went to visit her sister for a few days. She won't be back until Tuesday, and I've got the house to myself until then."

"Perfect!" The captain exclaimed from behind them, grabbing onto Kageyama's arm and dragging him closer to the middle of the scene. "Really. This is perfect. You-" he turned to the setter, "Are going to take _very good care_ of Hinata while his mother is out, and you are both suspended from the team until his ankle is completely healed."

"What! That's not fair!" Kageyama whined, practically falling to his knees. "I didn't mean to hurt him! I swear!"

"Don't make Kageyama my nurse, I'll die!" Hinata protested, squirming as Sugawara held him still.

"You think I can't take care of you, little shit!" Kageyama quickly turned his attention to the boy sitting on the floor, "I'll take care of you _so hard-_!"

"Enough! Both of you!" Sawamura growled, grabbing Kageyama by his ear and silencing the redhead with a glare."Maybe this will teach you a lesson about roughhousing at practice!"

"He's the one that took _my_ bottle," Kageyama grunted.

"Get over it, Kageyama! That's the thing about your oddball _duo_ , it needs two to work! If we can't use one, we might as well not have either!" The captain shoved the setter hard enough that he stumbled in his footing and kneeled down to Hinata. The blocker winced in anticipation of a scolding.

"You need to stop provoking him, and you know it. Let's go," He wriggled his arms under the boy's knees and back, lifting him from the gym floor and dropping the ice pack that Nishinoya had placed on his leg. "Kageyama! Put your arms out!" He obeyed quickly, and Sawamura gently laid Hinata into them, being careful not to disturb his ankle.

"I don't want to be carried like this," Hinata huffed under his breath. Kageyama loosened his grip threateningly, and the redhead clung to his coat incensedly.

“All you’re missing is a dress!” Tsukishima snickered from a few feet off. Kageyama scowled and hunched his shoulders, shuffling towards the gym door with Hinata in his hands. Both of their faces were red, from anger and the awkward punishment that Sawamura was enforcing.

“Help him change, Kageyama!” Sugawara called as he stood with the dripping ice bag in hand, “Nishinoya, go put this back, it’s leaky!” he said to the side as he tossed it gently at the libero, who gave an exasperated sigh. Tsukishima burst into a fit of laughs, not even bothering to conceal them anymore.

“Have fun on your honeymoon, King!” he practically screamed at them as Kageyama shoved the door open to the changing rooms. Hinata screeched loudly when his leg was hit against the doorframe.

“Whoops,” the setter shrugged sarcastically.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone that read the first chapter, the positive response was really encouraging! i hope this one is okay, too.

“You’re putting your own pants on,” Kageyama said matter-of-factly as he unceremoniously dumped Hinata on a bench in the locker room.

 

“Obviously,” Hinata blew a raspberry and crossed his arms over his chest. “Like I would need your help with something like that!”

 

“Shut up,” the setter growled as he surveyed the wall of lockers, “Which one is yours?”

 

“It’s _right_ next to yours!” Hinata guffawed.   
  


“Don’t expect me to remember something like that, dumbass!” Kageyama nearly wrenched the door off its hinges when he threw it open, balling Hinata’s already wrinkled clothes in his fist and tossing them backwards at him without looking. “Just fucking change, will you!” Hinata rolled his eyes and picked his shirt off of his head where it had landed.

 

His fresh t-shirt was on and his jacket was over it by the time that he realized he actually might need some help with something like that: His short arms were unable to maneuver his jeans over his ankle without him pushing his leg through himself. He tried, desperately, but couldn’t help the clench of his teeth with every failed attempt at the pain that shot through his leg and up his body.

 

“Kageyama...?” He called across the room quietly.

 

“What?” Came a cold, still slightly aggravated question in reply.

 

“Maybe, could you...” he muttered, glaring down at the tiled floor as he struggled to spit out the filthy words, “Help... me.. with my pants?” He’d be nursing this dent in his pride for long after his ankle had healed.

 

“I already told you I wouldn’t!” Kageyama whipped around, lip snarled, fully dressed with his shoes in his hand.

 

“But Suga-san said...!” Hinata whined, kicking the air like a toddler in a swing and wincing at the strain.

 

“Just wear your shorts!”

 

“But they’re sweaty, and Nishinoya spilled ice water on them!” Hinata looked up to see Kageyama’s unchanged expression. “I can’t wear them all weekend. You’ll have to help me _sometime_.”

 

“Can’t I just go get someone else-” Kageyama started to complain, rolling his neck back towards the gym doors like he was procrastinating chores, and Hinata shook his head vigorously.

 

“No, no! Nobody else can know!” He grinned slightly. “Besides, Daichi-san will just hit you again and make you do it, anyway.” Kageyama swallowed hard and instinctively placed a protective hand over the area he’d been hit before.

 

“Fine,” he finally sighed after a long pause through clenched teeth. Hinata cheered silently in relief as Kageyama ducked downward, loosening and removing his shoes. He sat down on the bench next to the redhead and Hinata’s celebration was cut short as he felt himself being lifted onto the setter’s lap.

 

“Hey, wait!” he protested as Kageyama’s hands settled on his hips for a moment, his smaller legs slipping to either side of the other’s rather than resting on top.

 

“What? I thought you wanted my help?” Kageyama taunted at his apparent change of heart.

 

“I don’t have to sit in your lap, _Bakageyama_!”

 

“It’s faster this way; trust me, I want you on my lap for as little time as possible,” Kageyama sneered and slipped his thumbs underneath the waistband of the blocker’s gym shorts. Hinata held his breath so that his face bypassed pink and went straight to red, glancing between the forced nonchalant expression on Kageyama’s face and the rough palms dusting over his thighs as his shorts were dropped. He felt like he was being baked alive, trapped between Kageyama’s fevered-feeling chest and thick arms.

 

“Hurry up, stupid!” No retaliation, Kageyama only grabbed his jeans from the bench and began to slip them over his feet. Hinata’s bruising ankle was beginning to swell, and he whined at practically every touch that “It hurts!”, even though he’d been doing a worse job himself. Chiding the taller for not being careful enough felt less awkward than sitting in his lap silently. The air was heavy around them, all he could smell was Kageyama’s sweat and liberally applied deodorant that apparently wasn’t as effective as he thought.

 

“You totally could have done this yourself,” the dark-haired boy scoffed and fastened Hinata’s jeans, even though they both knew he didn’t need help with that part. His hands absentmindedly lingered under the redhead’s shirt for a moment too long on his hot skin, but he tore them away when he realized. He grabbed Hinata from under his armpits again and put him back on the bench, standing back up.

 

“Could you roll the leg?” Hinata stuck out his foot, ignoring the last comment, and Kageyama kneeled to push his pants away from his injury. “Thanks.”

 

“Do you need help with your shoes?” Kageyama looked back to the other boy’s locker that he’d left hanging open.

 

“Could you just put them in my bag? Not like I’m gonna be walking very far,” he chuckled with a shrug of his shoulders, not meeting Kageyama’s eyes.   
  


“Right. Right,” Kageyama nodded to himself and packed up both of their bags, keeping his back turned to the redhead.

 

“Thanks for doing all this stuff, Kageyama,” Hinata said, just loud enough to be heard from where the setter was standing, to break the awkward silence. “Even if it’s only because you’re afraid of the captain,” he added as an afterthought. Kageyama grunted in response and turned around with their bags crossed over his chest.

 

“Can I carry you on my back?”

 

Hinata nodded, “That works,” and wrapped his arms loosely around the other boy’s neck when he was prompted by his kneeling. Kageyama shucked an arm under Hinata’s leg and lifted him up, but quickly set him back down on the bench. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Too heavy that way, with the bags,” he crumpled his face in thought. “Front,” he nodded decisively.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You have to balance the weight, stupid, here,” Kageyama wrapped his arms around Hinata’s middle and squeezed him until he understood and wrapped his legs around his torso, then his arms back around his neck. “Good?”

 

“Yeah,” Hinata muttered into the crook of his neck, laying his head on his shoulder and pursing his lips. He was surrounded by Kageyama’s gross sweat-smell again, but his position was comfortable enough that he didn’t care to comment and ruin it.

 

“God, you’re so tiny,” Kageyama observed rudely and dropped his arm lower to support him better, resting a hand on his back pocket to catch him if he started to fall.

 

“I’m not that small, Kageyama! Don’t say that!” Hinata whined loudly right into his ear, snickering when the setter reached up to scratch at the side of his head and swat his nose. “Let’s go already, I don’t want any of the senpai to come in and see us _hugging_ ,” he made a noise of disgust and dug his fingers into the fabric of Kageyama’s coat as though he were coaxing a horse with his heels.

 

“Never said being tiny was a bad thing,” Kageyama grumbled under his breath so quietly that even the boy with an ear perched on his shoulder didn’t hear.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re like, my reverse ambulance,” Hinata smiled into Kageyama’s jacket. “Or a cross between a house call doctor and the pizza delivery guy, even.”

 

“Does that make you the pizza?” Kageyama mused in his throat, bowing his head like the thought weighed his neck down. He bounced Hinata upwards on his hip as he started to slip with the movement, readjusted his posture, and kept scuffling forward in the dirt. “Are we almost there?”

 

“Yeah,” the blocker glanced over his shoulder to inspect their progress from the front. His cheek felt warm and damp from where it had rested on Kageyama’s neck. “You’re really sweaty,” he deadpanned, turning to look towards Kageyama’s face. His trademark scowl made a not-so-surprise appearance.

 

“It’s from practice,” the setter _hmphed_.

 

“You weren’t this sweaty when we left.”

 

“You’re sweaty, too! Don’t complain!” Kageyama countered, bottom lip jutting out as he denied the flush of his cheeks as best he could.

 

“What’s wrong, Kageyama? Am I too _heavy_ for you?” Hinata raised an eyebrow curiously to match his wide grin, he seemed to have struck a nerve.

 

“Obviously not! Stupid! You weigh, like, two pounds!” the dark-haired boy barked like a startled puppy. “I would have just dropped you if I didn’t want to carry you-!”

 

“Oho, so you want to carry me, then?” Hinata jumped at the poor choice in words. “What’s up with that?”

 

“You know that’s not what I meant!” Kageyama hissed, “I’ll drop you! I swear I fucking will!”

 

“Wouldn’t dare,” Hinata shook his head confidently, but tightened his legs around Kageyama’s hips, anyway. Kageyama began to loosen his hands like he had in the gym and the redhead dug his fingers into the taller’s jacket. "Wait, don't!"

 

“Would,” the setter sneered as he released his hands completely, dropping one from underneath him and one from his arm. He kept walking as Hinata screeched, sliding down a few inches and scrambling to grab onto Kageyama’s loose clothing enough to keep himself from falling to the dust.

 

“Pick me back up!” He panicked, pawing at the setter's chest. "I'm sorry, please! Pick me back up!" he was begging now, clutching the taller's jacket as though his life depended on it. The foot or so to the ground might as well have been a drop over a cliff. Kageyama snorted, amused, and paused in his stride to grab Hinata from under his armpits and replace his earlier position on his hip. Hinata sighed in relief, but didn't loosen his fingers tied in the breast of Kageyama's coat. He threw his head down on the boy's shoulder a little harder than was necessary, dramatic pout sinking his features.

 

"That was mean, Kageyama!" No response. "I think you hurt my ankle even worse!" He whined, even though his legs had remained firmly wrapped around Kageyama's waist throughout the ordeal.

 

"Sorry," Kageyama muttered gruffly, less for his actions and more to himself for warranting Hinata's noisy complaints. He pressed a hand under his thigh to assure him that he wouldn't be dropped again, at least for a little while.

 

"You aren't," Hinata stuck out his tongue and blew a cold breath onto Kageyama's cheek when he didn't get a second apology or get called stupid. Kageyama grunted in distaste and blew right back at him. "Your breath smells gross," he mumbled, laying his head back down.

 

"So does yours," Kageyama countered.

 

“Yours smells like you’ve been eating dog biscuits,” Hinata taunted, suddenly recovered from nearly being dumped on his ass. He blew a raspberry at Kageyama’s cheek, calmly awaiting his counterattack.

 

“Have you even brushed your teeth once since elementary school?” the setter asked casually, not taking his eyes off of the road ahead as he adjusted Hinata’s backpack strap on his shoulder. The redhead spat again and Kageyama cringed.

 

“Do you want to crawl home?” he hissed and Hinata was suddenly reminded of their situation.

 

“Okay, truce! I’ll stop being annoying, and you carry me all the way back without dropping me?” he smiled hopefully.

 

“I’m fairly certain you can’t just stop being annoying, it’s your nature,” Hinata rolled his eyes and jabbed his knee into Kageyama’s side, earning a warning grunt, “But fine, truce.”

 

“Alright! Now we’re getting somewhere,” Hinata laid his head back into the crook of Kageyama’s neck with a satisfied sigh and set upon watching the ground pass underneath them from such a high place as his friend’s shoulder.

 

\--

 

“Hinata?” Kageyama shook his passenger gently, and his fears were confirmed as a sleepy groan of “Five more minutes,” was breathed onto his shoulder.

 

Not sure when he’d be able to earn a moment of silence like this for the rest of their time together, Kageyama felt blindly up Hinata’s leg to reach his pocket, where he’d felt his house keys when he was helping him dress. The redhead was still out cold by the time Kageyama managed to open the door without looking at the lock or the keyring. He stepped inside and glanced around, hoping the boy’s mother had come home early and he was relieved of nurse duty, but no such luck.

 

Disappointed, he let their bags slide off his arms into the house’s entryway, taking care that Hinata didn’t fall with them. He could feel Hinata’s soft, even breaths ghosting up his neck, turning his skin clammy and cold and twisting his stomach into knots for a reason he couldn’t seem to place, exactly. Dismissing the feeling, he propped Hinata higher up onto his hip and moved his unconscious body upstairs as silently as possible.

 

As expected, Hinata’s room was a complete mess. Clothes littered the floor like leaves in the autumn and smelled like he hadn’t done a load of laundry yet in the school year. Gagging to himself, Kageyama pressed his spare hand protectively into the decoy’s back as he stepped over mounds of papers and underwear and other less easily recognized substances.

 

“Kageyama...” a barely audible mumble made Hinata’s lips part slightly and Kageyama trip over his own feet, of all the things in his path to trip over.

 

He only just managed to toss Hinata up onto the bed before falling to his hands and knees. The redhead jolted awake as his ankle slammed into the post and he cried out in surprise.

 

“What happened! When did we get in my room?” he scanned frantically for the setter before fully waking and realizing he was on the floor. He stood and scrubbed at his knees with his hands.

 

“You were talking in your sleep! About _me_!” he snarled to a startled Hinata.

 

“Was I?”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im still really surprised at the positive response ive been getting, thank you all so much, i hope you enjoy!

"What were you dreaming about?" Kageyama finally coughed out his question, breaking the unspoken agreement he had unknowingly made with Hinata. Hinata had shrugged off his unconscious slip-up with a laugh and asked Kageyama to grab an ice pack, his ankle was really sore after that second fall. 

“Why? What? I mean, so what?” he spluttered, and Kageyama almost suggested that he move the ice from his ankle to his red cheeks. “Who even cares? Not me, I don’t even remember, actually!” His neck must have been broken, too, he seemed physically unable to look up and meet Kageyama’s eyes.

“Then why are you so defensive about it?” Kageyama countered, lowering his brows to give the illusion that he didn’t find Hinata’s flustered state incredibly amusing. 

“Because you’re asking personal, sensitive questions, obviously!” Hinata crossed his arms. “You don’t need to know what I dream about!” 

“Well, I thought maybe you were dreaming about hitting one of my tosses, but now,” Kageyama paused for effect and glanced off to the wall nonchalantly, “I’ll have to assume the worst.” Out of the corner of his eye he watched the color drain from Hinata’s face, but before he could respond he was alone in his bed as Kageyama fled the scene to let his statement stew. 

Hinata thought back to the moment before he’d been rudely awoken, not so long ago that he had really forgotten anything. Truthfully, his dream had started with hitting Kageyama’s tosses, but that was definitely not why he had said his name in his sleep. 

\--

Having retreated downstairs to the kitchen, Kageyama was alone to make good on his promise to think up the worst possible scenario as to why Hinata was dreaming about him. Maybe he was a sadistic freak and had been imagining cutting him up into little pieces in return for dropping him on the way home? Or was he expecting to be poisoned or mortally injured under Kageyama’s care, had the moan come from his deathbed? Kageyama shivered, he didn’t like knives and there was no way Daichi would ever let him back on the team if he really did kill Hinata. 

A buzz from his pocket shook him from his own dream, and he found a message from Hinata: “im hungry!”

“what do u want” he replied, opening the nearest cabinet, but finding only plates and glasses. 

“cupboard above the fridge”, was the only clue he was given. Standing on his toes, he was just barely able to reach inside, and his fingers were greeted by a pile of crinkly plastic bags. He pulled one down and read the label with a grimace, shutting the cupboard and grabbing a bottle of painkillers and a water before returning to Hinata’s room.

“Gummies!” Hinata cried, overjoyed and seemingly amnesic of their last conversation. Kageyama flung the candy towards him and he caught it, tearing it open and throwing three in his mouth with a single swipe. “Want some?” he turned the open bag to Kageyama, who shook his head.

“I don’t know how you’re so athletic if this is how you eat at home,” he scolded, handing him the water and pills. Hinata swallowed a pair of the pills eagerly and chugged the glass of water before replying.

“Oh, it’s not. I’m just not tall enough to reach where Mom hides all this stuff!” he grinned.

“Don’t use me to break the rules!” Kageyama shouted, but he was too exhausted to actually be so mad. Hinata grinned in thanks and continued popping the candies into his mouth, the next coming before the previous was even swallowed. “Do you want me to... Adjust you?” Kageyama asked, glancing over Hinata’s uncomfortable-looking position; he sat upright in the middle of his bed with his leg propped up on the footboard. Hinata scrunched his nose up in confusion before realizing what he meant and nodding.

“Thank you!” he tucked in his shoulders as Kageyama sprawled behind him to stack his slight overstock of pillows up, grabbing a few to lay under his leg. “Oh, oh! Go get the big pillow from the couch downstairs!” he pleaded. Kageyama sighed and trudged out of the room to wrestle the couch cushion up the narrow staircase. 

Hinata waited until he could hear Kageyama grunting as he got stuck at the bottom of the stairs with the cushion to stretch over to his nightstand and tug the large black tablet resting there from its dock. He turned the console on from there and searched around in his messy bed for the TV remote. It was recovered, and with a pop, the screen came to life and he tapped the icon on the tablet controller for a game he was sure would make Kageyama less mopey.

“The hell is that?” Kageyama glared at the splash screen full of colors and shifting patterns. His sudden appearance back in the room was welcome, now that Hinata was ready for him. He had the cushion, too, bonus welcome points. 

“Only the best game ever for cheering up big grump-monsters like you!” 

“Are those pills already kicking in? Or is it all the sugar,” Kageyama deadpanned, moving his gaze from the screen mounted in Hinata’s wardrobe to Hinata’s wide smile.

“Don’t be mean! Just bring that thing over here and come sit with me!” he pointed to the pillow then patted a patch of bed next to where he sat. Kageyama grunted again to show his distaste and slid the cushion behind Hinata’s back, fluffing it around his shoulders and then flopping down on it himself. Hinata passed him the controller.

“Splatoon?” Kageyama cringed at the foreign word in his mouth as he stared at the logo on the TV. “Isn’t this that weird paintball game with the octopus people?”

“Squids, Kageyama, squids!” Hinata clicked his tongue in mockery and reached over the setter’s arms to press the trigger buttons on the front of the controller to start through the announcements.

“I don’t want to play this! Can’t you just do it?” Kageyama lifted his hands away and nudged the tablet-like remote towards Hinata, who shoved it right back.

“Nope! I even signed in under Natsu’s account so you wouldn’t mess up my rank!” he smiled and laid back into the couch cushion. “She won’t mind.”

“I don’t even know the controls!” Kageyama huffed unhopefully as a last-ditch effort to get out of playing.

“I was going to show you, obviously!” Hinata huffed right back and navigated to, what Kageyama assumed was, a practice room. “Okay, press this one to use your weapon...” he started to point out the buttons, wrongly assuming Kageyama would remember them.

“What’s that thing it’s carrying?” he asked, squinting at the weapon that seemed to be a paper towel roll mounted on a stick in the character’s hands.

“It’s a roller! You can put down lots of ink, it’s really fun to use!” Hinata nodded matter-of-factly. “Natsu has other weapons, too, but just start with this, okay?” 

“Fine...” Kageyama pressed the “fire” button a few times and watched globs of paint fling into the air, then discovered it was more effective to keep the button held down as he moved. After a few seconds, a warning popped up on the screen. “Why do I need to reload a roller? It doesn’t have bullets!” he gestured to the TV to convey his frustration. 

“Press down here,” Hinata touched one of Kageyama’s index fingers with the correct button underneath, “And wait for your tank to fill up!” 

“This isn’t fun,” Kageyama rolled his eyes. 

“Let’s see how you do in an actual game, then?” Hinata raised an eyebrow.

“Fine,” Hinata slid the controller into his own lap and Kageyama watched as he made his way to the online lobby and joined a match on his behalf before handing it back. 

“Okay! Turf war! You’re orange!” Hinata watched the TV and reported back to Kageyama, who thought it was a little unnecessary, considering he was also watching. “Go!” Kageyama started flicking the paint stuff from his roller at the people surrounding him, and Hinata slapped his arm. 

“Ow! What was that for?” he turned away from the screen, and Hinata immediately pushed his head back to face the action.

“That’s your team, idiot! And eyes on the match, you’re timed!” Kageyama could only imagine how well they’d get along if Hinata was this focused on other things. The avatars around him had dispersed, painting the entire area as they went. He started to run after one before they disappeared, seemingly into the ground.

“Where’d he go?” Kageyama scrunched his brows as he searched the screen. 

“He’s swimming, just like you should be! It’s faster!” Hinata gestured to the same button he’d used to reload before. Kageyama pressed it and watched his own character melt into the ground, swimming along in the direction the other player seemed to have been heading. “Good,” Hinata smiled in approval. Soon, though, the orange liquid ran out and he found himself squirming on bare ground. In the distance, he could see a character decked out in blue.

“How far is the range on this roller thing?” he took a side-eyed glance at Hinata, who blinked in confusion. 

“Not far? Why?” 

“Gonna get him,” Kageyama pushed on the toggles as hard as he could, running towards the player who appeared to be on the opposing team. 

“No! Paint the ground first!” Hinata instructed with the air of a mother telling a child to eat their vegetables before dessert. 

“But he’ll get away!”

“Doesn’t matter! You’re supposed to spread ink, you don’t get points for killing people!” he clicked his tongue again at Kageyama’s violent tendencies. As he turned back to the screen, the very player he had been plotting to kill popped out in front of him and fired right into his face. 

“Hey!” Kageyama shouted as he watched his character fall apart into a pile of clothes. “If killing doesn’t give you points, why did he kill me?” 

“Don’t worry, you’re fine,” Hinata giggled and pointed as he respawned. “And that’s what happens when you stand there in someone’s way like an idiot.” Kageyama wondered if there was any chance of combining this Hinata that came from playing games and the one that he actually had to interact with on a daily basis. 

“Okay, I’m done,” he pushed the controller back towards Hinata, who shrugged and expertly dove Natsu’s squid into the orange ink surrounding where he had respawned. He watched as Hinata moved the controller around with every flick of the toggles, leaning into his side and resting on him as he found the perfect camera angle. The timer at the top of the screen ticked down through the last ten seconds, and the orange team had lost. Badly, thanks to Kageyama’s blundering during the first portion of the match. 

“Might as well switch to my account, huh?” Hinata closed the game and signed back into his own profile before loading it up again. He skipped through the announcements and maneuvered back to the lobby. 

“Isn’t your character a girl?” Kageyama snickered, noticing that Hinata’s avatar had the hairstyle and face that was different from the more masculine players he had seen in the game. 

“Well, yeah. Isn’t she cute?” Hinata pointed at the outfit he had spent forever putting together to maximize abilities and fashion. “I’m really proud of her!”

“Right,” Kageyama sighed through his nose and leaned back into the cushion behind him, pulling his phone from his pocket to tell his mother the current situation, since she would be expecting him home from practice soon. His arm bumped with Hinata’s a few times, and he heard a loud, frustrated noise from beside him. With one hand and his knee, Hinata continued the game, while with the other he grabbed Kageyama’s left arm and tugged it around his shoulders so that his camera angles wouldn’t be disrupted.

A heat crawled its way from Kageyama’s stomach to rest in his cheeks as he felt Hinata’s shoulders and neck pressed into his arm, his torso clutched between his hand and his chest. He swallowed hard and shakily clenched the fist next to Hinata’s head. It felt like it wasn’t attached to the rest of his body, but was rather connected to Hinata’s as he moved with the controller and game, bobbing and weaving with his neck, taking sharp breaths when he thought he might not have jumped long enough or when someone started shooting at him.

“Knockout!” Hinata squealed, startling Kageyama from his confusing train of thought. He stretched his arms up high and leaned back into Kageyama’s arm, looking up, too, and smiling like he’d just performed a perfect receive. Kageyama thought he might be having a heart attack, or an asthma attack, or a stroke. Hinata looked away again and he wondered why on earth it felt like the sun had dropped right out of the sky.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im actually very impressed with myself i wrote this almost entirely during class when i was supposed to be studying for finals and before bed when i was also supposed to be studying for finals.

Kageyama wasn’t sure if he would ever get tired of watching Hinata play video games, especially when he was still wedged between his arm and his hip, jostling and bouncing like an overactive child rather than the injured teenage boy he was supposed to be. Hinata leaned forward towards the television screen as the final few seconds counted down on his match, and Kageyama tugged at his collar, releasing his breath slowly. His eyes wandered up Hinata’s back, noticing he was also overheating in their position; the collar of his shirt was damp. He wondered why Hinata hadn’t made him move yet, but was ushered away from the thought as Hinata collapsed backwards onto Kageyama’s arm, fist and controller aloft as he celebrated yet another victory. 

“Yes!” Kageyama grunted in surprise but readjusted quickly to Hinata’s weight. “Third win in a row, did you see, Kageyama?” he nodded, though he really hadn’t been paying all that much attention to the screen. Hinata beamed anyway, wiggling in closer to his friend’s body and sighing in content. 

“Are you, like,” Kageyama coughed. “Are you hungry for real yet-I mean it’s getting late, after all,” he pointed towards the window where the sun was dipping below the horizon.  
“Oh! I almost forgot, yeah,” Hinata shrugged and laughed at his own habit of being easily distracted. He started to turn the game off. “I can cook, if you bring me downstairs-”

“No!” Kageyama cut him off quickly with a shake of his head. “You stay here, I’ll do it.” Hinata blinked, taken aback, then giggled.

“You’re gonna cook dinner? Without being hit? I’m starting to think you might like taking care of me!” he grinned, and Kageyama blew out a frustrated puff of air as he scooted off the bed and away from Hinata. 

“Obviously not, idiot!” he spluttered. “I just don’t want to get food poisoning from whatever crap you would make!”

“How rude!” Hinata pouted mockingly before another fit of giggles cracked his facade. He had missed Kageyama’s insults for the past few hours. He had to admit that Kageyama’s fascination with the game did seem a bit off, no one really found squids interesting enough to stare at them for as long as he had been playing. “You’re the one missing out, though, I’m an amazing cook, for your information.” Kageyama didn’t answer, just stomped down the stairs and left Hinata to his game.

“Why did I do that?” Kageyama muttered under his breath in the kitchen. Hadn’t he been perfectly comfortable sharing Hinata’s bed with him? And why was this the alternative he had assigned himself to? If he thought Hinata couldn’t cook, then he certainly couldn’t. He growled at his own stupidity and wrenched the refrigerator open to gather ingredients for the one thing he knew he could make without hurting himself, too. As he reached inside, he began to wonder what Hinata might have made.

\--

“Dinner,” Kageyama mumbled gruffly as he slid a plate of food onto Hinata’s lap. While he was downstairs, the game console had been switched off and some cheesy animated movie that had been playing on cable was creating a comfortable background noise. Hinata glanced down at the plate and picked up the fork lodged underneath two twin pieces of toast and their accompanying fried egg. If he was surprised, it didn’t show on his face, and Kageyama was grateful. Talking with Hinata right now was something he didn’t really want to do, and he knew that if a face had been made or a tongue stuck out he would have to defend his breakfast-for-dinner. Before his luck ran out, he shoveled a bite of egg in his mouth and ripped his bread in half to soak up the yolk that was expanding across his plate. Hinata watched his hands for a moment before turning back to his own lap. 

“Thank you for the food,” he smiled, and Kageyama jumped, startled, before nodding hastily in return, egg starting to dribble down his chin. Hinata chuckled inwardly and brought a piece of white up to his mouth, crunching down on the browned edges. Kageyama winced when he heard the sound, and Hinata noticed that his own egg was in much better condition than Kageyama’s had ever been. He snorted through his nose as he swallowed.

“Did you give me the good egg?” he asked, wiping his mouth with his wrist. 

“What do you mean, good egg? They’re both perfectly fine!” Kageyama whined defensively, though it was obvious he was trying his best to sound like he didn’t care. 

“You did! You’re never supposed to give the other person the good egg, dummy,” he rolled his eyes as Kageyama wracked his brain for some such rule of etiquette. “Thanks, though,” he scooped up the rest of the egg as it began to fall apart, dropping it on his bread and taking a big bite to prove that he really did like it. He held his palm under his chin to catch drips as he slurped.

“Gross,” Kageyama muttered and continued to make a similarly sloppy mess of his own meal.

\--

“It’s kind of late, isn’t it?” Hinata muffled a yawn with his wrist, passing it off as a cough. “I mean, I’m not tired, but we can go to bed if you want,” he glanced upwards to Kageyama hopefully, catching his eyes in the dark. He wasn’t struggling to keep his eyes open, he had the same expression as that afternoon when they had eaten lunch together. Hinata thanked his lucky stars when he silently agreed, though.

“Where are your pajamas?” he swung his legs over the side of the bed into the space he had cleared after tripping the second time. 

“Bottom drawer!” Hinata sighed happily and began tugging his own shirt over his head as Kageyama kneeled and tossed him a baggy white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, tossing them blindly like he had in the locker room. This time, Hinata caught the bundle, though, and replaced his shirt quickly. 

“Do you need help again?” Kageyama asked quietly after a moment of pause, watching Hinata stare at his pants with a tad of contempt. 

“Yeah,” he nodded shamefully, unbuttoning his jeans as Kageyama sat back down on the bed and pulled him onto his lap for the second time. “Sorry.”

“No, no,” Kageyama groaned, lolling his head back as he searched for words. “Don’t say that, I mean, it’s my fault you got hurt in the first place,” he quickly began to shake Hinata’s jeans from his legs as a distraction.

“It’s not! I was the one bothering you!” Hinata protested Kageyama’s droopy expression.

“I was trying to make you mad by not letting you drink, though,” he rebutted, determined that the blame fell on only his shoulders.

“But I took your bottle, and who wouldn’t get mad at that?” Hinata chuckled in the best lighthearted voice he could muster, grabbing onto Kageyama’s wrist as he nearly toppled to the floor because neither of them were paying proper attention.

“Plenty of people!” Kageyama shouted, then crumpled. “Sorry, sorry.” Hinata glanced up from his lap to his expression, he certainly looked tired now. 

“You don’t have to be sorry, I’m kind of used to you yelling at me,” he squeezed Kageyama’s wrist gently, kicking his jeans off his ankles and to the floor and reaching for his pajama pants. Kageyama grabbed them from him and threaded his legs through before speaking again.

“I’m not really yelling at you, I’m just...” he sighed and lifted Hinata back down onto the bed. “I swear I’m not mad, or anything.” he finished lamely, scrunching his eyebrows as he searched for a way to continue. 

“You’re just loud?” Hinata offers, crawling back to his comfortable position on the bed, propped between two stacks of pillows. 

“I guess so? I don’t know,” Kageyama stood and moved towards the door, flicking off the light. “Just forget it. Sleep good.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Hinata demanded, sitting up.

“Downstairs, to sleep on the couch.”

“No way! There aren’t even any pillows on it now!”

“Whose fault is that?” Kageyama grimaced in the slivers of light leaking in through the blinds on Hinata’s window.

“Mine! So you can sleep up here with me.”


End file.
